‘After nearly destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 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," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend