Following nearly annihilating our world, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp