‘After nearly destroying the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp