Following almost destroying the planet, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged closer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization into total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp