Following almost annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do people hate one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp