‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost in real time while it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn