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

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it moved closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people 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 fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp