Following almost annihilating the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, 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 didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn