Following almost destroying the planet, the families have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and 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 that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp