‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost two weeks of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn