Following almost destroying our world, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn