‘After nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn