Following almost annihilating our world, the families have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend