Following nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend