Following nearly annihilating our world, the families are friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware 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 and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn