Following almost destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp