‘After nearly destroying the world, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, 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 always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend