‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families are friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn