Following nearly destroying our world, our relatives are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn