Following almost destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series 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, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn