Following nearly destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn