‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened after an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp