‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR 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 sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn