‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend