Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp