‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

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

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend