Following almost destroying our world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people hate one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp