Following almost destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend