Following nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to disaster. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend