‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn