‘After almost annihilating our planet, the relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn