Following nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being built on 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 maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt 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 a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend