‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn