Following almost destroying our planet, the families are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. 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 picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp