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

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer to destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest each other and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp