‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet came nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp