‘After almost annihilating our world, our families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

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