‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do nations hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend