Following nearly annihilating our world, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to destruction more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend