‘After almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp