Following nearly destroying our world, the relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp