Following nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend