‘After nearly destroying the planet, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

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

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn