‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp