‘After almost annihilating our world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn