‘After almost destroying the world, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This happened when an American surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch nearly in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp