‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people 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 everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend