Following almost annihilating the world, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet came closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn