Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

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

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or else can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn