Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was almost 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend