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

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn