‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families are allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born 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 events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend