‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held 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 Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp