‘After nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp