Following nearly destroying our planet, our families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

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

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn