‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn