‘After almost destroying our world, our families have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp