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

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend