Following nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend