Following almost annihilating the world, the families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp