‘After nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn