Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend