Following nearly destroying the world, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within 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 resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn