‘After almost destroying the world, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend