Following nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States considering?" ponders 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 question: "How can people hate one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant 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 USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn