Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend