‘After almost destroying our planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

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

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp