‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted 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 have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn