‘After nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards armageddon. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn