‘After nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend