‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend