‘After almost destroying the world, our families have become friends’: a gripping audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase was almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend