‘After almost annihilating our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging civilization into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn