‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend