‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn