‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged closer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

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

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend