‘After nearly destroying our world, our families are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp