‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

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

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp