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

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp