‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp