‘After almost annihilating the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

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

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn