Following nearly destroying the planet, our families have become friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp