‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time as it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn