‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend