Following nearly annihilating our world, our families are friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world veered closer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn