‘After almost annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp