‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn