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

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn