Following nearly destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn