‘After nearly destroying the planet, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp