Following almost annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and 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.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn