‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend