Following almost annihilating our planet, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend