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

In October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn