‘After almost destroying our world, the families are allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to destruction more so than ever during recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend