Following almost annihilating the world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp