Following nearly annihilating our world, the families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp