Following nearly destroying our world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined 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 perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another and go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp