Following almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world 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 parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn