Following almost annihilating the world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks filled with extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging humanity toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp