‘After almost annihilating the world, the families are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend