Following nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn