Following almost annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations hate each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn