Following nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be allies or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend