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

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer to ruin more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 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 naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend