‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired when an American reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb 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, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn