Following nearly annihilating the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn