‘After almost destroying the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

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

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp