Following nearly destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer 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."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost in real time while it edged towards disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva 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 pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend