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

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations hate each other and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp