‘After nearly destroying the planet, our families are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant 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 thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp