Following almost annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting 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 now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend