‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend