Following nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn