Following nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn