Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This happened after an American surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public 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 wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend