Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn