Following almost destroying our world, the relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp