‘After nearly annihilating our world, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend