‘After almost annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

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

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn