Following almost annihilating the world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn