‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn