‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn