‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp