Following nearly annihilating our planet, our families are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel element to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

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

For her, the strength of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , 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. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn