‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union 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.

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

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn