‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to destruction more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that people have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend