Following almost destroying our world, our families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn