Following almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend