Following almost destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people can be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp