Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn