Following almost destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp