Following almost annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened when a US surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp