‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again 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 be able to grasp