‘After nearly destroying our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

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

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp