Following nearly annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 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," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend