‘After almost destroying the planet, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people hate each other and oppose 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 complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp