‘After almost annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is 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 side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp