Following nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed was almost 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile 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 novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through 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 grasp