Following almost destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp