Following nearly annihilating our world, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance plane found that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can people hate one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people can be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to 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 symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp