Following almost destroying the planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn