Following almost destroying the world, the families are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn