‘After nearly destroying the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn