Following nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend