Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union 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 sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp