Following nearly destroying our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn