‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend