Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend