‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

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

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn