Following almost destroying the world, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came nearer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to question: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend