‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp