‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn