Following nearly annihilating the planet, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend