‘After nearly destroying our planet, our families are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn