‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn