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

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp