‘After nearly destroying the world, our families are allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend