‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

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

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn