‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging civilization into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend