‘After nearly destroying the world, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp