Following nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend