‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic missile bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn