‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards disaster. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend