Following nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have sunk the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn