‘After almost destroying our world, our families are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel dimension to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn