Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging humanity into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast'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 an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend