‘After almost destroying our planet, the families are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend