‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be friends or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend