‘After nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch nearly in real time while it edged towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

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