‘After nearly destroying the planet, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

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

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn