Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," 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 before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp