‘After nearly destroying the planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate each other and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

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

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp