Following nearly annihilating our planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other and go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it crept towards disaster. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend