Following nearly destroying the world, the families have become friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards disaster. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp