‘After almost destroying our world, our families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp