Following almost annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp