‘After nearly destroying the world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. 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," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn