Following nearly destroying our world, the families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend