‘After nearly annihilating our world, the families have become allies’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can individuals hate one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp