Following nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn