Following almost destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp