‘After nearly destroying the world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend