‘After nearly annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after a US surveillance aircraft found that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What were the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn