‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families have become friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals can be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp