‘After almost annihilating our world, our families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

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

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk 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 Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. 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 first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn