Following nearly annihilating our world, our families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn