Following nearly destroying the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend