Following almost destroying the world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting mankind toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend