‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn