‘After nearly destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend