‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become allies’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing 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 would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend