‘After almost annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

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

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn