Following almost annihilating our world, the families have become friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp