Following almost destroying our planet, our families are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting humanity into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn