Following almost destroying the planet, the families are friends’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend