‘After almost annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend