‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly two weeks of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably 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. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp