‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

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

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp