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

During October 1962, the world veered nearer to destruction more so than ever during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn