Following nearly destroying the planet, our families are friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile sites were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp