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

In October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn