Following nearly destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity veered closer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend