Following almost destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend