‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened after an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing 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 Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend