Following nearly destroying our world, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn