‘After nearly destroying the planet, our families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred when an American reconnaissance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations hate each other and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend