‘After almost destroying the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp