Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate each other and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn