‘After almost annihilating our planet, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn