‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp