‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn