Following nearly annihilating our planet, the families have become allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend