Following nearly destroying our world, the families have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn