‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp