Following nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend