Following nearly destroying the planet, the families are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn