‘After nearly annihilating our world, the families are allies’: the thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn