Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred when an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend