Following nearly destroying the world, the families have become allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn