Following almost destroying the world, the families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. 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 progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp