‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. 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.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn