‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 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," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn