‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, 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 always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn