Following almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards disaster. However, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 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 before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp