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

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend