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

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn