‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn