Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

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

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels 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 all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn