‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend