Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn