Following nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "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 Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend