Following almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn