‘After almost annihilating our world, our relatives have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp