Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging humanity toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

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

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp