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

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp