Following nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp