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

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp