‘After almost destroying our world, the families have become friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend