Following nearly annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable 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 toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend