‘After almost destroying the planet, the families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp