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

During the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn