Following almost destroying our world, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came nearer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. 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 narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend