‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can people detest each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was 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 things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that 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 be able to grasp