Following nearly destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently 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 fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact 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 hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend