‘After almost destroying the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity veered closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see 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 remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn