Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on 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 around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp