‘After nearly annihilating our planet, the families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn