‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it edged towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend