‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

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

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, 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 presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend