‘After nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp