Following nearly destroying the planet, the families are friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend