Following almost annihilating our planet, our families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

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

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn