‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend