‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn