‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging civilization toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp