Following almost destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn