Following nearly destroying our planet, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin more so than ever during recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost two weeks of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend