‘After nearly destroying the world, the relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union 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 optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 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 were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend