Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle 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. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend