Following nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn