‘After nearly annihilating the world, our families are allies’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting humanity into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp