‘After almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp