Following almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging humanity into total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new element into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend