‘After nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept towards armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend