‘After almost destroying the world, our families are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations detest one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp