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

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans can be friends or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact 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 Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp