Following almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was 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 with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp