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

In the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations hate one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend