‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp