‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp