Following almost destroying our world, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp