‘After almost destroying the world, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance 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. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn