Following nearly destroying our planet, our families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend