‘After nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in recent history. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn