Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate each other and go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp