‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn