Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp