Following almost annihilating the world, our families are allies’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

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

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp