Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp