‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp