Following almost destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series involving global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward total ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective to the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn