‘After nearly destroying the world, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now 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 have the capacity to learn