‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend