Following nearly destroying our planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp