‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 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 were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn