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

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn