Following almost annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around the island. What followed was almost 14 days filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn