‘After nearly destroying our world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp