‘After nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after an American surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn