‘After almost destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn