Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend