Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile bases were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn