Following almost destroying the planet, the families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting humanity toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp