Following almost destroying our planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp