Following nearly destroying our world, our relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend