Following almost destroying the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans can be allies or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn