Following nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb presents a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend