‘After almost destroying our world, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," 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 had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend