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

During the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer 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. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend