‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp