‘After nearly destroying our world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting mankind toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn