Following nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp