Following almost destroying our planet, the families are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp