‘After almost destroying our planet, our families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of 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 quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn