‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn