Following almost destroying our world, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came closer to destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba 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 sunk our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to learn