Following almost annihilating the world, the families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp