Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can people hate one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend