‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp