‘After almost destroying our planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"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 had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn