Following almost annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it edged towards armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp