Following nearly destroying our world, our families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn