Following almost destroying our planet, the families have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn