‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp