Following nearly annihilating our planet, the families are allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR 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, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend