Following nearly destroying our world, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

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

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect 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 side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn