‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, 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."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn