‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

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

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend