‘After nearly destroying our world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Russian atomic missile bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend