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

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," 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."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend