‘After almost annihilating our world, our families are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp