Following almost destroying the world, our relatives have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around the island. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest each other and go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," 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 constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn