Following almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn