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

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn