Following almost annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn