Following almost annihilating our planet, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend