Following nearly destroying the planet, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn