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

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend