‘After almost destroying our world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged closer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend