Following nearly destroying the planet, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging civilization into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend