Following almost annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp