‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp