‘After almost destroying the planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend