‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn