Following nearly destroying our world, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward destruction more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp