‘After nearly destroying our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can nations hate one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system 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, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We aren't 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 had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp