Following nearly annihilating our planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend