‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

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

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend