Following nearly destroying our world, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of 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. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

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