Following almost destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging civilization into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn