‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came nearer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to learn