‘After nearly annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength 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 it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend