Following almost annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp