Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend