Following nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn