Following nearly destroying the world, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend