Following nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane identified that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

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

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be friends or else can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend