Following nearly annihilating the world, the families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging humanity into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend