Following almost destroying the planet, the relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging civilization toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians considering? What was the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally could watch nearly in real time while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp