‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp