‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp