‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

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

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn