‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend