Following nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn