‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people hate one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it crept towards disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living 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 have the capacity to grasp