Following almost destroying the world, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn