‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that people can be friends or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders 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 are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp