Following nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp