‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

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

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend