Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp