‘After nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp