‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting humanity toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

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

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp