Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary 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 a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend