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

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, casting civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn