Following almost annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people hate each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn