Following almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend