‘After nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn