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

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting civilization toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp