Following nearly destroying the planet, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards disaster. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp