Following nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to 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 symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend