Following almost annihilating our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

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

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives 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 exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp