‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp