‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp