‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend