‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families are allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp