Following nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for military 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 his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn