Following almost annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp