Following nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp