‘After nearly destroying our world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend