Following nearly annihilating the world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

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

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, 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 always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn