Following nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn