‘After nearly destroying our planet, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp