Following almost annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s notable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn