‘After nearly annihilating the world, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend