Following nearly destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp