Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile installations were being built in 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 establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp