‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp