Following nearly annihilating the planet, our families are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp