‘After nearly annihilating our world, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people can be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp