Following almost destroying our world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend