Following almost annihilating our world, the families are friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp