Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn