Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn