Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend