Following almost annihilating our world, our families are allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be friends or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls 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 crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp