‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn