Following nearly destroying the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world came closer to annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. However, the danger of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America 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, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp