‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend