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

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn