Following nearly destroying the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

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

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend