‘After almost destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

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

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp