‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance plane found that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, 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 the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp