Following nearly destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

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

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

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the 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 it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend