Following almost annihilating the planet, our families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. 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.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp