‘After almost annihilating our world, our families are allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn