‘After nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state 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 toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp