‘After almost destroying our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp