‘After almost annihilating our world, our families are allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles 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 blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

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

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp