‘After almost destroying our world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp