‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer to destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event 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 to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn