Following nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was almost a fortnight of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, 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 always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn