Following nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to disaster. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

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

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend