‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

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

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp