‘After nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do people hate each other and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn