‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn