Following almost destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn