‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people hate each other and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp