Following almost destroying our world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

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

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while 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 optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp