Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp