‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp