‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans can be allies or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn