Following almost annihilating the planet, our relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

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

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend