‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it edged towards disaster. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn