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

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

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

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do people hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp