‘After nearly destroying our world, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp