Following almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it edged towards disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn