‘After almost destroying the world, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn