‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp