Following almost annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend