Following almost annihilating the world, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp