Following nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: the gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend