Following almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to ruin more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

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

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp