‘After almost annihilating our world, the families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting mankind into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 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 prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend