‘After almost destroying the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging humanity toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp