Following nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can people hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. 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 can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn