‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer to destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired when a US surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via 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. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn