‘After almost annihilating our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This 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 inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp