Following almost annihilating our world, the families have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend