Following almost annihilating our planet, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend