‘After nearly annihilating our world, our families are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate each other and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend