‘After almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States 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 sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn