‘After almost destroying our planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened when a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging humanity toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to learn