Following almost destroying the planet, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel element into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards armageddon. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend