Following almost annihilating our world, the families are friends’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend