Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn