‘After nearly destroying our world, our families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting mankind into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend