‘After nearly destroying the planet, the families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp