Following almost destroying the world, the families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend