Following almost destroying our world, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred when an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do 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 can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp