‘After nearly destroying the world, our families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals 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 complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

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

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in 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