Following almost destroying the planet, the families are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated 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 exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn