‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came closer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn