Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn