‘After almost destroying our world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it edged towards disaster. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn