Following almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp