‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me 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, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent 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 appear not to have the capacity to grasp