‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn