Following almost annihilating our world, the families are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn