Following nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be friends or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp