Following nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see 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 remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 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," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp