‘After nearly annihilating the world, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward ruin than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the American side considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp