‘After almost annihilating our planet, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend