‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp