Following nearly destroying the planet, the families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp