‘After almost annihilating the world, our families are allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn