‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn