‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families are allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn