‘After nearly destroying our world, our families are friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can people hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn