‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn