‘After nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend