Following almost annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

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

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other and go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn