Following nearly destroying our planet, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can individuals detest each other and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why 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, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend