‘After nearly destroying the world, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend