Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction than at any other point during recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

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

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn