‘After almost destroying the world, the families are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend