‘After almost annihilating our planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend