‘After nearly destroying the world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "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. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp