Following almost annihilating the planet, the families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting civilization into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn