Following nearly destroying the world, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn