Following nearly destroying the planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn