Following nearly annihilating the world, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

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

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful 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 failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp