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

During October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over 13 days, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

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

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp