Following nearly destroying the planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp