Following nearly annihilating the world, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn