‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American reconnaissance plane found that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp