Following nearly destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin more so than ever during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend