‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend