Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would 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 sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp