Following almost destroying the planet, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp