Following almost destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend