‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp