Following nearly destroying the world, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, casting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. 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 failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp