‘After almost annihilating the world, our families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was almost 14 days of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "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 positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn