Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend