‘After nearly destroying our world, the families are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the 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 progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp