‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp