Following nearly destroying our world, the families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 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 were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend