Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging humanity toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp