‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend