‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp