Following nearly destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend