‘After nearly destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn