Following nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union 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 it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend