‘After almost destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp