‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around the island. What followed was almost a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

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

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend