‘After almost destroying our planet, our families have become allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp