‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp