Following nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance plane found that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn