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

In October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp