‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost 14 days of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

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

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn