Following almost destroying our planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is notable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend